


Mistletoe

by Clea Strange (agentj)



Series: Holiday Cheer [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 16:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13104078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentj/pseuds/Clea%20Strange
Summary: Stephen introduces Clea to some of Earth's holiday customs.





	Mistletoe

Clea had been Stephen's apprentice for a few months before she noticed a distinct difference in the air around her on Earth. Slowly, the climate around her seemed to change. The air was crisper, and the sun seemed to be in a different place in the sky little by little. It took its time in the mornings before peeking up over the horizon, and never rose to its full height as it once did, slinking back to the horizon earlier and earlier, leaving the air more and more chilled.

The people of New York didn't seem to notice, or at least, they adapted to it. People bundled up with additional clothing and seemed to check their phones more often for weather reports. Rain became more frequent, and eventually turned to snow.

Clea asked Stephen about this.

"Oh, the Earth travels around the sun at an angle," he tried to explain scientifically, but Clea simply did not understand. Her dimension did not contain whole intact planets (only remnants of planets remained after Dormammu tore them asunder and integrated them into the Dark Dimension), and certainly they had no systems of planets which surrounded a central star.

So instead, one evening Stephen took Clea in astral form far from the Earth so they could watch it from a distance. The large blue marble seemed to be leaning back on its side as it spun before them. As it also moved its way around the burning gaseous globe, it was obvious the southern hemisphere was beginning to receive more of the sunlight while the northern portion received less.

" _This causes Earth's seasons,_ " he illustrated. " _Seasons are the Earth's awakening, growth, harvest, and hibernation - this is what makes up our yearly cycle..._ "

From this distance of the throbbing metropolis that was New York, Clea could see the multitude of stars shimmering all around. Also outside of Earth's atmosphere, their view was as unobstructed as Hubble's telescope.

" _Each of those stars have worlds?!_ " she asked as she gaped at the wonders around her.

" _Not all, but many of them,_ " he explained, more intent on her reaction to her new experiences rather than on the majestic vista. " _Earth's astronomers find more of them every day._ "

He brought them closer to the Earth again and flew over different portions of the planet - from mountain ranges covered with snow, then vast deserts parched for water. And of course, vast stretches of ocean. Each of them in their own right were like little pockets of their own reality.

" _What a wondrous world you come from, Stephen!_ " she declared as she drank it all in. " _I see now why you would sacrifice yourself for such a magical place._ "

Perhaps it was this moment when it struck Stephen that Clea was truly alien to this reality. Everything she saw and experienced was completely new and unexpected. After that, he seemed to find a way to integrate something new for her every day, just to savor her reaction to it.

For instance, one morning when Clea came to meditate with Stephen in the Garden of Zen (a place he discovered through the Windows of Many Worlds), she discovered a strange sprig of herb apparently fixed above the open door. Tiny bulbs of red burst through the green leaves. Clea stopped and stared at it, wondering how it got there. Was it something the Sanctum started to sprout on its own? Or was it some demon infestation she and Stephen would have to conquer?

Stephen came up behind her and suddenly kissed her cheek.

Clea looked up at him surprised. Up until this point, he hadn't really been very affectionate with her - although she thought she would quite like it if he were. "Yes? What is this?"

She was asking about the kiss, but Stephen must have thought she was asking about the plant, for he answered, "It's mistletoe. It was part of Druid ceremonial sacrifices during the solstices. Many Europeans believed it contains mystical properties such as bestowing longevity and fertility as well as warding off evil spirits."

"So it is a good thing?"

"Well, maybe not so much for the tree it decides to feed off of." He smiled at her quizzical look. "Mistletoe is technically a parasitic plant. It steals the resources of other plants to maintain itself and grow."

"I don't understand."

Stephen shrugged. "Oh, sorry. It doesn't actually hurt the other plant. I think people saw the dark green bunches together up in trees, especially in the wintertime, and they decided it must have magical properties. So they started using it in various ceremonies involving fertility - like weddings, or when the winter came and they wanted to bless the earth for a good bounty in the next season. Kissing underneath it promises long life and marriage."

"Ah, so it  _ **is**_ magic!"

Stephen was about to shrug again when Clea suddenly pressed herself up to him and kissed him - this time on the lips.

It was his turn to stare dumbly at her. She smiled. "May you live a long life, Stephen Strange."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm using italicized quotes to indicate telepathic communication. Because, you know, there isn't any air in space. :)


End file.
